Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire David Lloyd welcomes HMIC’s latest national report on Police Effectiveness which warns that forces are ‘sleepwalking away from communities’ as a result of Neighbourhood Policing being eroded across the country. HMI Billingham highlights her concerns that many forces are now undertaking less preventative work in communities and warned that they need to make sure that Neighbourhood Policing – the British model of policing, is preserved for future generations.

In contrast, HMI Zoe Billingham praises Hertfordshire for ‘establishing a commitment to Neighbourhood Policing’. The latest HMIC PEEL report on Police Effectiveness, noted that Hertfordshire has an ‘established commitment to neighbourhood policing and that the force is strongly committed to crime prevention and is judged to be good in this vitally important area of policing. Police officers, PCSOs and staff work well with partners, like local councils and other organisations, to solve problems in neighbourhoods. This includes early intervention to prevent anti-social behaviour escalating’.

Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire David Lloyd is delighted that HMIC has recognised the importance of Neighbourhood policing as the bedrock of policing and has been a passionate advocate of the model, ensuring it continues to flourish in Hertfordshire despite the national trend.
David Lloyd said “Neighbourhood Policing lies at the core of my Police and Crime Plan, Everybody’s Business (2015- 2020) as the fundamental principle in delivering effective local policing. Since my appointment I have been clear that maintaining local policing is important: not only because the residents of Hertfordshire have consistently told me that they value the Hertfordshire way of policing, but because it improves visibility and contact with the public, captures the needs of local communities and involves them in decisions, building trust, confidence and legitimacy, and importantly improving visibility and cutting crime”.

“Most forces across the country have changed their policing model, with some significantly cutting back the front-line, centralising their services and reducing local presence whilst others are broadening the remit of Neighbourhood Policing teams to include tasks ordinarily carried out by response officers or investigators, to the detriment of prevention work carried out and engagement with the public. Although the nature of criminality has changed somewhat over the years, the fundamental principles enshrined in Peel’s English model have remained”.